Sean and Paige are where? Here's where you find out what's happening with them in India...

Welcome to India

This blog is intended to make a country that most Westerners find to be otherworldly not so much so. We enjoy sharing our experiences, noting our observations, highlighting our impressions and otherwise recounting our adventures in India while helping our blogwatchers to be vicariously closer to this grand country. Welcome to India.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

These Kuderu girls love their new dresses, something they never thought they would ever have.

The boys of NTR Colony are about to open their first Christmas gifts.

This picture of the Nelaturu girls is our favorite picture from our entire experience in India: renewed beauty, restored dignity, smiles that reflect the love they are experiencing despite their once-orphaned or -abandoned spirits.

Every year we add new children to CCH, and this year there are 145 more than there were last year, we also have the privilege of giving Christmas gifts to children who have never opened a gift, much less a Christmas gift.

What does this look like?

Here’s a classic video of what it looks like for a
child to open a Christmas gift (or any gift!) for the first time:

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

These
follow-up appointments with Jaya’s cardiologist are a double-edged sword.For instance, on Monday there was just as
likely a chance that we would have to be immediately readmitted to the hospital
as there was for him to say “Lungs all clear!”

A test of
breast milk again for Jaya had been successful, so we got the “all clear” and
this not only means that Jaya’s health is getting better, but that the
likelihood of us returning to India as planned on January 9th is
only increasing, much to our relief.

Contrary
to what some might think, we are only becoming more and more excited to return
to India and finish what we started there.There is no second-guessing or second-thinking about our return – we have
further things to accomplish and we’re determined to make it happen, but not at
our daughter’s expense, which is why the cardiologist’s “all clear” for both
the heart and the lungs is so critical for us.

So far so
good.Making progress. Thanks, Team Jaya!

And we’re
even attending UCLA football games to show our support for the school that has
now made such a difference in our lives (and because Daddy has always loved the
Bruins.That, too.).

Thursday, November 7, 2013

We came home from the hospital one week
ago.Jaya’s release was full of
anticipation and many of her nurses came to celebrate and express how much they
want to keep up with Jaya as she grows (thank you, Facebook.).

Our little girl’s personality has fully
returned, she is able to do more than she ever has and, while still small (11 ½
lbs), she is ready to really take off on the growth charts. We wanted to start her eating adult food immediately after surgery and, a few sweet potatoes later, our latest milestone is achieved. Pictures above.

We love every day with our sweetest of little
girls.Daddy is smitten.Mom is enjoying every day (and many nights, too).

However, on Tuesday, we learned we are not
out of the woods yet.A follow-up
appointment with our UCLA cardiologist revealed that there are still a few
areas of Jaya’s heart to monitor and watch:

1.The ventricle wall created in this surgery has a small bulge and needs a decrease in the swelling.

2.There is a small leak in one of the areas of the heart that needs to fill
out.

3.A band around one of the arteries is smaller than expected at this point
and we need to see if the band needs adjustment or if the artery just needs to
mature and grow bigger.

If you’re fascinated by cardiology, let us
know and we can send you further details.Otherwise, your prayers for a whole heart and complete health for Jaya
are coveted as always.

Jaya’s clinical (outer) diagnosis is strong,
healthy and positive as it has been all the way through.Jaya’s parents are persevering and took the
blow of Monday’s diagnosis in stride, immediately wanting to summon Team Jaya
back to the sidelines.

This blog, originally focused on India and
our work there, will temporarily return to the initial focus on Monday’s blog – so much to
catch up on about India.Here comes
Christmas….and 545 gifts to get sponsored.

Sean & Paige Whiting

About Us

Southern California natives, we met in 2008 while both living abroad. We were married in 2009 and spent our first year in Santa Barbara, CA - the place we both consider our adopted home. After spending some time in the past in India working with India Christian Ministries, we decided to devote an extended period of time and now work with at-risk children in rural, developing areas of India's southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh. Welcome to our blog - we hope you find our adventures and observations interesting, enlightening, entertaining and inspiring.